In the small mountain town of Spruce Pine, NC Christmas is a big deal. For several years the Mineral City has been the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree. With the name came the expectation of celebration. The last two years Spruce Pine took the Saturday after Thanksgiving to close off a main street in downtown to set up a winter scene of winter extravagance.
This year Spruce Pine has spread Christmas festivities out over the week of Dec 12th – 17th. Already sparkling, the store fronts of downtown are decorated for the “Best Downtown Christmas Storefront” contest. There will be a Santa’s Mailbox, Food drive, Old Fashion Caroling, Children’s Cookie Decorating Social, Toy Drive, Photo’s with Santa, and a Tree Lighting.
I will be there all week enjoying the fun of a real ole school small town Christmas. You can not buy these memories for the kids.
My new town has some really awesome history that I hope to be able get some posts out about. Spruce Pine has a long history of being a blacksmithing mecca and is home to one of the largest Blacksmithing Festivals in the country. But there is more to this cool little mountain town than blacksmiths. Every October Spruce Pine celebrates it’s deep cultural roots with the Mineral City Heritage Festival.
From their website:
“Our mountain heritage lingers from generation to generation. The Mineral City Heritage Festival in October of each year in downtown Spruce Pine thrives on sharing the old traditional mountain traits. Folks can watch an old-fashioned train engine chugging and making apple cider, watch the pot boil with apples peeled, and the making of apple butter. Weaving on an old spinning wheel can be viewed in a window or the caning of a chair being done by hand. Many varieties of food are available to feast upon as you listen to the “picking and singing.” Games abound for children, which gives the down home family feel to Spruce Pine. Take a drive off the Blue Ridge Parkway by about five miles and venture into a vision of excitement from the days of old. October 8th, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Demonstration and retail booths will be:
Local Artists
Farmers’ Market
Traditional Crafts
Blacksmiths
Live Music
Pie Contest
Old Time Photos
Weavers & Spinners
Animals
and lots of activities for kids.
by Bryan on August 29, 2011
The Arthur Morgan School in Celo, NC would like to invite you to the Fall Festival they are hosting in October. The event is intended to be a fun morning of fall in Appalachia.
Wednesday October the 12th the Arthur Morgan School in Celo North Carolina will host an Appalachian Fall Festival. The event is from 9:30 to 12:30 and includes blacksmithing, weaving and wool spinning demonstration, felting, cider pressing, potato digging, hay rides, face painting, biscuit making, an animal safari (pet the milk goats) and an all school pumpkin hunt! The school is located on 130 acres, outside of Burnsville, in the Celo Valley. There is an amazing view of the Black Mountains, trails through the woods to activities, and the 24 7th-9th grade students will be leading most of the activities (with supervision of course). All ages are welcome, $5 per person (this covers supplies for activities). This is not a fundraiser but an outreach opportunity for the broader community.
RSVP & Contact info:
Bridget O’Hara bridget@arthurmorganschool.org.
www.arthurmorganschool.org
828-675-8325
by Bryan on July 29, 2011
by Bryan on July 11, 2011
From Spruce Pine Main Street….
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The 13th annual Toe River Storytelling Festival will take place on Saturday July 16 just across from downtown Spruce Pine at Riverside Park starting at 10a.m and going until 4 p.m. There will be a diverse and dynamic line-up of storytellers to delight young and old listener’s alike. [click to continue…]
Summer is almost here. Time to get in the streams, rivers, creeks, ponds, waterfalls, whatever. To kick off the season make your way to Spruce Pine, NC for TROUTACULAR! This year they will celebrate the 4th annual opening of delayed harvest trout season for the Mountain Heritage Trout Program.
When: June 4th, 2011
Where: Riverside Park, Downtown Spruce Pine, NC [click to continue…]
by Bryan on April 29, 2011
There are number of awesome events, festivals, and happenings around Western North Carolina tomorrow. The family and I were having a hard time deciding how to spend our Saturday. The reality is that we have been having way to much fun this spring camping, hiking, swimming, Zip lining, and birthday partying it up. So much fun that we have sort of let the house situation go. I probably should be spending the full weekend cleaning the house and getting control of my garden, but instead I am going to head up to my new favoriate town Spruce Pine, NC.
From 10am to 4pm the annual Fire on the Mountain Blacksmith Festival will be clinking and clanging on Locust St (AKA “Lower St”). There will be live demonstrations, activities for children, hands on exhibitions, tools and gear for sale, and really awesome iron and metal art. There will also be some great festival style food and then of course the local restaurants will be serving up what is always some of the best in WNC. Rumor has it that there will also be a beer garden hosted by our friends at the Fox Fire Restaurant.
For more information check out www.sprucepinefestivals.com
In the small mountain town of Spruce Pine, NC Christmas is a big deal. For several years the Mineral City has been the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree. With the name came the expectation of celebration. The last two years Spruce Pine took the Saturday after Thanksgiving to close off a main street in downtown to set up a winter scene of winter extravagance.
